But boy did Rodrigo prove me wrong.
This was something else. I couldn’t put to words just how incredible he made me feel. Rodrigo looked at me like I was the only thing in the world. He observed me with an almost animalistic hunger, though the fondness in his eyes never faltered. He gauged every one of his movements with my reactions, testing to see what I liked best and what drove me absolutely wild.
Rodrigo’s tongue didn’t let up, even after my explosive climax. He continued to work me as earnestly as before, alternating between light, small circles and firm, large ones. My mind was spinning, head lulling to the side because it was too heavy for my neck to support any longer.
I sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth when I felt the tip of his finger press into me. “Rodrigo,” I whimpered, delightfully overwhelmed by the sensation of the stretch.
“Quiet, Princess,” he warned, voice a growl. I’d never heard Rodrigo’s voice so husky and low before. It was probably the sexiest thing I’d ever heard.
He curled his finger inside me, sweeping past my sweet spot as he did. I jolted as pleasure ripped through me. I could feel him smirking between my legs. Rodrigo pressed a second finger into me, stretching wet walls to prepare for him.
I swallowed hard, the back of my throat dry from all the moans he’d been pulling from deep within my lungs.
“Rodrigo, please,” I whined.
“Yes, Princess?”
“I need you in me,” I panted, writhing against his touch. “Please, please, please.”
He pulled his head and his hand away, propping himself up on his knees as he wiped his mouth dry with the back of his hand. His blue eyes were dark like stormy oceans, powerful currents swelling beneath the surface. Rodrigo stood for a moment and slipped out of his pants and black boxer-briefs, setting his hard length free.
I found myself lost in his image, marveling at how long and thick he was. There was just something about the messy state of his hair, the redness of his lips, the hardness of his lean body, and the hunger in his eyes that told me I was going to be absolutely ruined by the time he was finished with me. I shifted on the bed and parted my knees, more than happy for this to be the case.
He climbed back onto the bed, slowly pressing the head of his throbbing cock against me. Rodrigo took care to slip into me gently, burying himself in my heat. I moaned as he stretched me wider, sinking into me. Rodrigo made sure to pepper my face with kisses, helping me ignore the initial discomfort. He brushed his lips against the center of my forehead, the back of my eyes, the tip of my nose, and the corners of my mouth, soothing away the temporary ache. When he slipped his arms beneath me and cradled me against him, I’d never felt safer and more adored in my life.
“You okay?” he whispered against my lips.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down, kissing him hard and rough and deep. It was all I could manage in my blissed state.
He started to shift his weight, thrusting into me gently at first to test the waters. My whole body was alight with ecstasy. Good sense and restraint went flying out the window when Rodrigo suddenly snapped his hips against me, knocking the air out of my lungs. He began to thrust in earnest, searching for that sweet friction and release.
I hooked my legs over his hips and drove my heels into him, as if to help him thrust deeper, harder. I couldn’t describe how badly I needed him, how much I wanted to feel him inside me. His weight above me was a comfort, his strong chest blanketing me from the rest of the world. It was just the two of us here, lost in and with one another. It amazed me just how right and good it all felt.
Never in a million years did I think Rodrigo would go from best friend to stranger to lover. And yet, now that we were here, it felt natural. If he hadn’t moved away, if he’d stayed at my side and our parents weren’t at each other’s’ throats, would we have wound up in this exact position? If Rodrigo had stayed, we could have been doing this a lot earlier. But it didn’t matter anymore. Whatever hypotheticals ran through my head, what mattered was that we were here now.
A familiarly intense heat began to pool in the pit of my stomach again, engulfing me in a splash of sparks. Our labored breaths mingled with each other, the heat radiating off our bodies combining into a cloud that smelled of sweat and sex and pure delight.
“Rodrigo,” I moaned. “Oh my God, I’m close. Rodrigo, I’m–”
“You’re so beautiful,” he groaned. “Marina, fuck.”
With a few more hard thrusts, mattress springs creaking beneath us, we both came undone. Our bodies shuddered together as we rode out our climax, panting into deep kisses and digging our fingers into each other’s backs. I whined into his mouth as his tongue swept over mine.
We lay there for a moment, quiet and satiated. The only sounds I could hear were our gradually evening breaths and the beating of our hearts, my pulse a loud drum in my ear. The calmness of the early morning hours settled over us. The cool air of my bedroom was still, undisturbed.
Rodrigo shifted slightly so that he could lie on my belly without crushing me. He glanced up at me, smiling sheepishly as he pressed a kiss to my stomach. It was fascinating how adorable he looked in the gentle lighting of the moon. I brushed a few strands of his unruly hair out of his eyes so I could properly admire the blue of his irises. I always thought he had the prettiest of eyes.
“What are you thinking?” I asked softly.
“I’m thinking…” He trailed off, in search of the right words. “I’m thinking I’d like to go another round. If you’re not too tired, of course.”
I giggled. “Trust me. I definitely want to do that again.”
Rodrigo chuckled. Why was I so hypnotized with the sound?
“I’m sorry we didn’t actually kiss under the mistletoe,” he said after a moment. “It just occurred to me.”
I ran my fingers through his hair. God, why did this feel so perfect? I’d never been more comfortable in my life. It was like finding that pair of shoes that fit just right, or finishing off a complicated puzzle—simultaneously gratifying and freeing.
“It’s okay,” I mumbled. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it up to me.”
“I’m sure I will.”
“I do have one question, though.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “What is it?”
“Your plan to get into the palace didn’t go according to plan. How were you planning to get out?”
Rodrigo’s brow furrowed. “Uh… I didn’t think that far ahead.”
I stifled a laugh. “Seriously?”
“I was excited to see you, okay? Can you really blame me?”
I sighed, content. “Do you remember when we used to play hide and seek as children?”
“Yeah. I could never find you. You were always terribly good at that game.”
I shook my head. “I always hid in the secret passages because I knew you didn’t know where they were.”
Rodrigo’s mouth fell open in mock horror. “There are secret passages?”
“This palace is a thousand years old. Of course there are secret passages.”
“Cheater.”
“It’s not cheating. It’s playing smart.”
He rolled his eyes. “Please tell me one of them leads outside.”
I grinned. “It does indeed.”
Rodrigo let out a relieved sigh. “Problem solved, then.”
He moved like he was ready to leave, but I took his hand quickly and gave it a squeeze. “You don’t have to leave right away, do you?”
Rodrigo smiled gently at me. “No. No, I don’t.”
He lay down next to me and wrapped me up in his arms, pressing his lips to my hair. I knew he had to go first thing in the morning. We couldn’t risk being caught together. There was no doubt in my mind that Father would likely have Rodrigo’s head.
But until morning came, we were content to simply be. For now, this was more than enough.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Rodrigo
&nbs
p; “Don’t get me wrong,” started Oliver, “I’m happy for y’all. But could you kindly suck face somewhere other than in my studio? Some of us have to work for a living.”
Marina giggled sheepishly as she pulled away from our kiss. She was sitting on my lap, her arms wrapped around my neck so that there was barely an inch between us. We were sitting together on the comfortable old recliner Oliver had stuffed in the corner of his designer’s studio. It had been covered over with a mountain of discarded fabrics and sewing tools, so I didn’t think our being there was exactly going to get in his way.
“You know perfectly well why,” I said. “This is the only place where–”
“You can meet up without the King and the senator knowing,” he finished for me. “I get it.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re the best?” Marina asked.
“Darling, I know I’m the best.”
Marina and I laughed together, our lips finding each other like magnets.
Deep down, I knew he was happy for us despite his complaining. We’d been hiding out at Oliver’s studio for the better part of a month now. The palace believed that Marina was working closely with Oliver on another charitable project, and my parents believed that I was just spending a lot of time with my best friend. He was turning out to be incredibly important in this relationship—the awkward third wheel that served as the perfect cover for Marina and I to see one another. If he really didn’t like it, I was sure Oliver would have kicked us out by now.
She pulled away slightly and grinned. I adored how her nose crinkled up a bit when she did. The scent of her expensive, sweet perfume filled my nose, left me higher than the clouds.
“Do you still remember how to horseback ride?” she asked softly.
“It’s been a while,” I admitted. “Why?”
“I was thinking we could use the fresh air. My family owns a couple of private villas out in the countryside. Maybe we can plan a little clandestine meeting.”
I raised my eyebrows at her, amused. “Clandestine, huh? Would I get to have you all to myself?”
She brushed her fingers through my hair and giggled. “Oh, yes. I’d imagine you would. It’s very private out there. No chance of our families finding out.”
“Imagine all the things we could do.”
“Maybe the horses won’t be the only thing I’ll ride.”
Oliver groaned loudly. “Seriously? Right in front of my salad?”
Marina threw her head back and laughed. It was honestly the most beautiful sound on the planet. Anybody who disagreed could fight me on that.
“But seriously,” she continued, “what do you think?”
“My only concern is sneaking in,” I said. “You’re not allowed to go anywhere without your private security detail.”
“I’ll just tell them to wait outside like I always do.”
“You’re going to make old Gary and Harold wait outside the villa for a whole week?”
“A whole week?”
I nodded. “I’ve already got an entire itinerary planned for the both of us. It doesn’t actually involve much outside of the bedroom, so–”
“Jesus,” hissed Oliver. He threw his hands up over his head and rose from his desk chair. He’d been doodling some new designs for an upcoming collection. Judging by the pink flush of his cheeks and his knotted brow, I was fairly certain he’d given up for the day. He turned to us and pinched his thumb and forefinger together. “I’m this close to drowning in all this heterosexuality.”
“Your fingers are touching,” I told him.
“Exactly. I’ll be in the front of the shop doing inventory if you need me.”
“But you hate doing inventory,” Marina teased.
Oliver shot us both a dirty glare. “I know. But not as much as being subjected to”—he gestured vaguely in our direction—“this.”
The moment he disappeared around the corner, Marina and I burst into a fit of giggles. I loved how easy it was to fall back into things. We spoke and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company like our ten years apart hadn’t even happened. I felt at ease around her, completely whole.
It didn’t take very long before Marina started to kiss me again. She cupped my face with her soft, delicate hands as I slithered my arms around her waist and held her close. Marina brushed the line of my jaw with her fingertips, scraping over the stubble of my five o’ clock shadow. Her mouth was so wonderfully soft against mine, and her tongue was devilish in the way it teased. I couldn’t count how many times Marina managed to leave me breathless, heart pounding in my chest like the first night I kissed her beneath the mistletoe.
I could have lost myself in her. Closing my eyes, all I could concentrate on was the smell of her skin, the heat of her body, the softness of her angelically long blonde hair. I wondered what would have happened to the two of us had I stayed in Brooklandia. What would have happened if Father didn’t send me away to Allendes for school? Could Marina and I have gotten together earlier, made use of those ten years to be with one another? Maybe our families could have gotten along for our sake instead of forcing us into hiding.
To be perfectly honest, all of this sneaking around was starting to get to me. I wasn’t going to complain aloud because I was just so grateful to be holding Marina in my arms. But the paranoia was starting to sink in, started eating away at my guts to leave me feeling sick. As thrilling as it was to see Marina, I would have given the world to see her whenever I wanted. We had to jump through all sorts of hoops and hurdles to get to each other without raising the suspicions of the palace or of my parents.
We couldn’t text or call one another because all of Marina’s calls were screened for security purposes, and email was definitely out of the question because that would have left a traceable trail. All it took was one message sent to the wrong person for everything to blow up in our faces. Since Marina was under constant observation from both her security team and the public, it was almost impossible to get a word to her. Had it not been for Oliver going back and forth on our behalf, seeing Marina would have been impossible.
On one hand, I was elated to be with her. I savored every second that I could. But on the other hand, an underlying worry hung over my head and tried to crush my shoulders into the ground. What if we were caught? What would happen to us then? How long were we going to last like this? I didn’t want to say anything, though. It was so obvious that Marina was happy and having a good time. I tried convincing myself that this was more than enough, that we’d deal with everything at a later time. The only thing I needed to do was to focus on her.
She was all that mattered to me.
“What are you thinking?” she whispered against my lips, voice sweet and gentle.
I shrugged a shoulder, running one of my hands up to comb through her long locks. “Just making a list.”
“Of?”
“Of all the restaurants I want to take you to one day.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you remember Old Joe’s Pizzeria?”
She nodded. “We used to go every Friday evening to grab a slice. Best pizza in the entire kingdom.”
I smiled at her, nuzzled the tip of her nose with mine. “You used to always steal my pepperoni slices.”
“I wasn’t stealing. You gave them to me because you didn’t like them.”
“I actually love pepperoni.”
Marina giggled and stroked my cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. “Really? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I only gave them to you because I wanted to make you smile.”
There was a gleam in her eyes. “You’re so sweet.”
I chuckled. “I do my best.”
“I have a question for you.”
“Fire away, Princess.”
“When did you first start liking me?”
I tilted my head back and thought about her question. Marina took this as an invitation to nuzzle her face in the crook of my neck, holding onto me tight. She pressed light kisses against my coll
arbone, sighing contently.
“Do you remember that one summer when you pushed me into the fountain?” I asked. “I think we were five or six.”
“The one in the royal gardens?”
“That’s the one.”
“I didn’t push you,” she argued. “You tripped.”
“Over your foot, which you deliberately stuck out.”
I felt her smile against my neck. “I’m still not wrong.”
“Okay, okay. Whatever works for you.”
“So I tripped you and you fell into the fountain. That’s when you started to like me?”
“No,” I corrected. “It was about a week after. I was so mad at you that I refused to come visit for an entire week.”
“I remember that, actually. I spent the entire time pouting in the library.”
“Yeah, well, I remember being so embarrassed that I didn’t want to see you anymore. But I quickly realized that I was super lonely without you. That was when I realized.”
Marina moved to kiss my cheeks, the tip of my nose, my forehead. She left little butterfly kisses everywhere, smiling the entire time. “Did you think about me when you were in Allendes?”
“All the time. Did you ever think about me?”
She nodded. “I did, actually. I wondered what happened to you after your letters stopped.”
“I’m sorry. Life got a little busy.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I could have just as easily reached out to you too.”
I grinned at her. “Have you ever been?”
“To Allendes? No. Father would never allow it.”
“I’ll take you one day. It’s beautiful there this time of year. I can take you sailing.”
“You sail? Since when?”
I laughed. “I learned a couple years back. I even joined my school’s rowing team.”
She reached for my biceps and gave them a squeeze. “That explains these, then.”
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